Friends surrounded him at his last breath

Mourners hug after the funeral service for Jordan Segura at McInnis and Holloway, Chapel of the Bells, funeral home/crematorium on Centre Street north in the south of Calgary, Alberta Monday, April 21, 2014.

Photograph by: Stuart Gradon
, Calgary Herald

Jordan Segura’s infectious smile, love of Ska music and enduring sense of humour rose above the tragic circumstances surrounding his death as he was remembered Monday by family, friends and strangers compelled to pay their respects.

More than 300 people crowded into the McInnis and Holloway funeral chapel on Centre Street North for a standing-room only celebration of life for the 22-year-old religious studies major who was also a cherished employee at the funeral home.

The ceremony was bookended by reggae, ska and hip-hop music, a carefully selected tribute to the young man killed last week in a stabbing rampage at his rental home in Brentwood. Despite the mystery and tragedy surrounding the deaths of Segura and four friends, the hour-long service was inflected with laughter and lighthearted memories of the young man whose mega-watt smile could light up a room.

“Jordan was loud and kind and passionate and incredibly witty,” said close friend Jayda Shreenan during her eulogy. She spoke at length about Segura’s endearing quirks: his flare for style despite being colour-blind, his hatred of wearing shorts and a love of takeout pizza that — despite his talent in the kitchen — ran so deep the local delivery guy “felt it necessary to give him a Christmas card.”

And Segura was devastatingly funny, she said, recalling how he regularly had her in stitches with his witticisms and antics.

“His laughter was contagious, it was this unmistakable chuckle that filled every corner of the room.”

Beyond humour, Segura’s compassion, kindness and integrity installed him at the centre of a wide, yet close-knit circle of friends, It was Jordan who spearheaded a tradition among the group called a “compliment circle” where they’d fill a lull in conversation with warm thoughts about one another.

No one ever wanted to follow Segura, Shreenan said, because his compliments would be so thoughtful, elegant and profound.

And the deep love Segura held for his friends was returned, right back to the moment of his last breath, said Shreenan, who was there at the time of his death.

“I want you all to know that Jordan was not alone,” she said. “He wasn’t alone when he was living life to the fullest, he was surrounded by his friends. And right at the end, he was not alone.”

Segura’s older brother, Jullien, also spoke of his devotion to his family and the integrity and character, noting his brother never shied away from standing up for his beliefs.

“He would speak his truth even though it might create conflict or tension.”

Segura’s family also put together a slide show of photos, set to a Reggae cover of the David Gates song “Everything I Own,” a song Segura once told a co-worker he wanted played at his funeral. The lyrics now seem particularly prophetic:

“I would give anything I own just to have you back again, just to touch you once again.”

Pastor Wes Gorman acknowledged the pain many in the room felt at Segura’s violent death, but cautioned them not to let the anguish fester into anger and hate. Rather, he said, they should look to Segura’s young life for inspiration and hope.

“When we hate, we fail. When we keep a record of wrongs, we fail,” he said. “Jordan’s life teaches us that love has to triumph.”

Monday also saw funerals held for two other victims of the Brentwood stabbing: Kaitlin Perras and Joshua Hunter, both 23.

Segura, Perras, Hunter, Zackariah Rathwell and Lawrence Hong were all stabbed to death at a house party last Tuesday celebrating the end of university classes. Another partygoer, 22-year-old Matthew de Grood, has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder.

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Mourners hug after the funeral service for Jordan Segura at McInnis and Holloway, Chapel of the Bells, funeral home/crematorium on Centre Street north in the south of Calgary, Alberta Monday, April 21, 2014.

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